


Adult Supervision Required

by LumiOlivier



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied lawlight, L and Misa's friendship, M/M, Misa going overboard, One-Sided Amane Misa/Yagami Light, a messy night, turns cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:42:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24391492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LumiOlivier/pseuds/LumiOlivier
Summary: Light is allowed out of task force headquarters once a week for a night class.  And after everyone has gone home for the day, that means only one is left alone in the tower to keep an eye on Misa:  L.  And Misa doesn't entertain easily.
Relationships: Amane Misa/Yagami Light, L/Yagami Light
Comments: 4
Kudos: 98





	Adult Supervision Required

Quiet evenings didn’t come often at task force headquarters. Except for the one night a week where Light is allowed outside. Never unattended, of course. L made sure Light was being tailed by one of the other members of the task force. Albeit without Light’s knowledge. As much as L enjoyed his solitude at the monitors, he missed having Light around. However, there was only one other person in their ivory tower that missed Light more than L did. To make matters worse, L was left alone to deal with her.

As L buried himself in work for a distraction, Misa threw herself in her boyfriend’s usual chair, dramatically draping herself over the arm, “Sigh…”

L continued his work, completely and unapologetically ignoring her attempts at seeking attention. He knew this game. He knew Misa wasn’t above playing the dirtiest of tricks. But L also had a theory (amongst the many others). If he didn’t feed into it, Misa would get bored with him and move on with her life. _I’m not going to reward her behavior simply because she wants me to. It’s matter of when. I’d call this a battle of wits, but it is Misa. Wit isn’t exactly a word I’d use with her._

“Sigh…” Misa repeated, a little more annoyed.

L’s eyes never left the screen. Even though nothing too exciting was going on. Matsuda sleeping, Misa’s empty floor, the CCTV outside, and Mogi’s hidden camera on Light. That window was left minimized while Misa was in the near vicinity. Although, once Misa was done with her tantrum, that window would be back up on the main monitor and all would be right with the world again.

“SIGH!”

“Misa,” L broke down, holding his face in his hand, “Do you mind going elsewhere? I’m trying to get some work done and I can’t be distracted.”

“But I’m so _bored_ , Ryuzaki,” Misa groaned, pouting in her chair, “When does Light get out of class?”

“In about two and a half hours,” he told her, praying that would be sooner. 

“Why does he get to go out and I can’t?” she whined, “It’s not fair!”

“I never said you couldn’t leave here,” L pointed out, “You can leave anytime you want, Misa.”

“But I’m not allowed out of here without a babysitter…” Misa grumbled, “Matsu’s asleep and Mochi won’t answer my calls. It’s just us.”

“Lucky us.”

Misa thought for a moment or two, racking her brain for anything she could do to pass the time, “Come up to my room.”

“No,” L shot her down.

“Why not?!” she squealed, “Honestly, what could be soooo exciting down here?”

“I’m working, Misa,” he reminded her.

“Then, take a break,” Misa begged, “How long have you been sitting here?”

“For…” L checked the clock, “The last four hours. That doesn’t mean anything. I still have work to do. I’m not going to your room.”

“Fine,” she dropped it…only to pick right back up where she left off, “Come upstairs and watch a movie with me.”

“No.” _Why can’t she just leave me alone?_

“Well,” Misa bargained, “Can I at least watch one in here?”

“If you feel you must…” _And as long as she stays quiet._

“Yay!” she jumped up from Light’s chair and started bolting up the stairs, “I’ll be right back!”

“You do that.” _Yippee. Another two and a half hours. Hopefully, I’ll be able to live that long._ In almost no time at all, Misa ran back downstairs with a case in her hand, “I’m back! Which one of these is hooked up to a DVD player?”

“Misa,” L was ready to ram his head through the desk, “You do realize what these screens are for, right? That they’re surveillance monitors, not TVs? Do you really think one of these is hooked up to a DVD player?”

“You could’ve just said you didn’t have one,” Misa rolled her eyes, “You didn’t have to be a jerk about it.”

He stuck his hand out to her, “Give me the disk.”

“Why?” she continued pouting, “So you can snap it in half?”

“So I can put it in the drive under the desk.”

“Oh…” Misa handed over the movie, “Sorry…I didn’t mean to call you a jerk…”

“It was justifiable,” L let it go, looking at the art on the DVD. _The Notebook…Huh…Interesting choice,_ “What’s the Notebook?”

“Oh my god,” she melted inside, “It’s one of my favorite movies! But then again, I’m a sucker for a good love story. Kind of like with Light and me. That one’s my favorite, of course, but the Notebook is a close second.”

“Love is just a combination of chemicals released in your brain,” he put the movie in, hoping it’d be his ticket to getting Misa to shut up.

“What?” Misa wondered, “You don’t believe in love?”

“Like I said,” L reiterated, “It’s just the right combination of chemicals released in your brain to make you think you’re in love.”

“In other words,” she smirked, “You don’t.”

“Not particularly, no.”

“Well,” Misa took that as a personal challenge, “If watching the Notebook doesn’t make you believe in love outside of it being brain chemicals, then nothing ever will.”

“Sounds like fun,” L kept an eye on the monitors. _Bold of her to think I’m actually going to watch it with her._

As the movie went on, Misa moved closer to L. At one point, L found her wrapped around his arm. If he said he enjoyed it, he’d be lying, but whatever kept her quiet. _So, Misa…Which one of us is going to cave first?_ When the credits started rolling, Misa had her face buried in L’s tear-soaked shoulder, her heart ripped out of her body and torn to ribbons in front of her. She continued to bawl her eyes out for at least another five minutes after the menu came back up.

“So?” Misa’s voice broke, “What’d you think?”

“The plot was predictable,” L reviewed, “The acting was cheesy. Their idea of romance was nauseating. The chances of me watching it again are nonexistent.”

“Seriously?” she squealed, “How?! How do you sit through the whole movie and be completely unmoved?! I’ve seen it twelve times and I cry like a baby every time!”

“I told you, Misa,” he went back to the monitors, “Love is nothing but chemical releases. Nothing more, nothing less. Not this big, magical feeling that everyone hypes up.”

“Oh, Ryuzaki…” Misa wrapped her arms around him, “We really need to find you a girlfriend, don’t we?”

“No, thank you.”

Suddenly, Misa had an idea pop into her head. One that made her internally squeal. _Ryuzaki said I couldn’t leave here without someone to keep an eye on me, right? Well then,_ “We should go out tonight.”

“I’d rather sit through the Notebook again.”

“Yeah!” Misa didn’t care if he said yes or no. She was nothing if not persistent. _It’s how I got Light,_ “Come on, Ryuzaki. You said I couldn’t go out without a babysitter. You never said it couldn’t be you.”

“I thought that was implied,” L mumbled to himself, “But I’m impressed that you found a loophole, Misa. Gold star for you.”

“Please?” she begged, “Please, please, please, please, please…?”

L was cornered. And he didn’t like being cornered. There would be no getting away from Misa in task force headquarters and he knew what her persistence was like. _She’s relentless. If it were against anyone else, I’d be just as impressed as her loophole finding skills, but alas, it’s on me. I have no choice. I could manage. If all else fails, I can still keep an eye on the monitors from my phone while I make sure Misa behaves herself._

“Fine,” L caved, “I guess we can go out.”

“Yay!” Misa celebrated her little victory. But she knew there were miles to go before she could sleep, “Thank you, Ryuzaki! I promise it’ll be fun! A lot more fun than watching these monitors anyway.”

“If you say so.” _I regret this already._

“If we’re going to go out,” Misa demanded, “There is no way in hell you’re going out like _that._ ”

“What do you mean?” L felt a pit open in his stomach. _Mistakes were made._

“You’re going out with me,” she took his hand and dragged him upstairs, “I have a reputation to uphold. If someone from the press sees me out, I’m not letting those candid shots be horrible. Come on.”

“Misa…” he tried to get out of her grasp, but Misa had quite the grip on his wrist, “I still have monitors to…”

“Nope,” Misa stopped him, “Another thing about us going out tonight? You’re going to forget about work. Not a single word about any of it. It’s going to be no work and all play tonight and I don’t want to hear any complaining.”

_I wonder if Misa’s aware of the irony she creates on a daily basis._ L knew there’d be no fighting her, so he might as well go along with it. _How bad could it really be? I mean, if I had to, I could overpower her for an escape. Hopefully, she’ll understand there’s limits. If Light can put up with her, I probably can, too. Then again, she wouldn’t have brought up me complaining unless she’s dealt with it before. Maybe Light hasn’t put up with her as well as I think he has._

“Make yourself at home,” Misa insisted, walking back toward her bedroom.

_I’m the one who owns the building, but if she says so,_ “Misa, what exactly do you plan on doing?”

“Just a few things,” she thought it over, sticking her head out the door for a quick assessment. _That’s what I get to work with? Yikes. I know Ryuzaki doesn’t get out much…if ever, but this is some rough raw material. It’s not going to be easy, but who knows? Maybe I can work miracles._

L couldn’t sit still. The thought of Misa’s intentions coupled with his distraction from work made him anxious. _But it’s either deal with her for the night or totally let her loose. I don’t trust Misa enough to lay low and stay out of trouble. She’s far too outgoing for that._ No matter how he looked at it, L’s hands were tied. And he hated it. _Of all the times for you to go back to Wammy House, why did it have to be now?_

“Misa,” L watched as his toes twitched under him, “How much longer is this going to be? I could be watching the monitors right now.”

“You can come back here anytime,” Misa allowed, watching the light on her straightener go from red to green.

As soon as L stepped foot in Misa’s bathroom, he realized how heavily he had wandered into uncharted territory. All sense of logic and reasoning had gone out the window. _Oh, what kind of hell have I stumbled into? It’s not like I’ve never seen her bathroom before. However, there’s a difference between seeing it on the monitors and seeing it in person. Living it is much worse,_ “Misa, what are you planning on doing while I’m here?”

“I want to go out,” Misa reiterated, “You need to be more presentable. That’s it.”

“And…” L sat with extreme caution, “What exactly does that entail?”

“UGH!” she groaned, “Do you trust me?”

“Not in the slightest.”

“Rude,” Misa rolled her eyes, “Just…Trust me. Just this once. Trust that I know what I’m doing and that it’s the only way I get to go out and have fun tonight. Because you’re going to be stuck to my side all night, aren’t you?”

“For surveillance purposes, yes.”

“Then, if anyone asks,” she reached for a section of L’s hair, “Someone that looks like press, anyway, you’re my new manager.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Relax,” Misa settled him, “It’s not the end of the world.”

“Is this all really necessary?” L sat perfectly still in fear of being burned.

“It’s totally necessary!” she chimed, “If you’re going to be my fake manager, at least look the part. I did the same thing for Matsu when he was my manager, even though that might have been the easiest part of our working relationship. But Mochi wouldn’t let me.”

“And you thought I would?” he argued.

“No one’s here to stop me,” Misa shrugged, continuing around his head.

“I’m here to stop you.”

“You haven’t said no,” she beamed, awfully pleased with herself. 

“I don’t recall saying yes either,” L pointed out, “So, after you’re done, we can leave? And the sooner we leave, the sooner we can come back?”

“You really don’t know much about me, do you, Ryuzaki?” Misa awed.

“I know plenty about you,” he assured, “I wasn’t lying when we first met. I truly was a big fan.”

“Was?”

“Then, I met you.”

“Ryuzaki!” Misa whined, pulling his hair a little, “That wasn’t nice!”

“Neither was what you did,” L winced, “But what was the point of that? Of me not knowing you well.”

“When I go out,” she explained, settling herself down, keeping on task, “I usually stay out long enough to get breakfast before I go home. Sure, I’m usually eating with a bunch of super old people, but…”

“We are not staying out that late,” he put his foot down, “I don’t care what else you do to me tonight, but that Is my one stipulation. We’ll stay out until Light gets out of class.”

“Boo,” Misa pouted, “Fine. If we’re making demands, then you can’t be a complete and total buzzkill tonight. I get the whole you not wanting to stay out late, but I still have a reputation to uphold, dammit! If anyone with connections to me kills the mood, I’m the one that takes the hit.”

“Chances are,” L figured, “I’m going to keep to myself most of the night anyway. I won’t be a, as you so eloquently put it, a buzzkill, if you can manage to somewhat control yourself. No mentions of the investigation. No mentions of Kira. No mentions of any of the task force. No inviting people back here.”

“Like I’d do that,” she promised, “If the media found out I was involved in a police investigation, especially one this big, it’d be a disaster. My publicist doesn’t have that kind of pull. And I’m going out tonight to _forget_ I’m involved in a police investigation, so it’s not going to come up in small talk. As for bringing people back here, there’s no WAY Light would ever go for something like that. Not that I would either. There’s only room in my heart for one man in my life and that’s Light. He _is_ my fiancé, after all.”

_Also your partner-in-crime in the most heinous mass murder case in history…If anyone would listen to me, they’d see that._ Despite that, L breathed a little easier. He sat patiently and let his mind wander while Misa finished her good work. _Maybe this won’t be a complete mess like I thought. Misa gets to have her fun. Misa gets out of my hair—in this case, literally—for a while. I still get to get some work done. Everyone wins._ And everything was ok. At least until Misa brought a handful of tubes onto the counter.

“And…” L looked them over, “What are these supposed to be for?”

“Look up,” Misa ordered, “Like…Don’t tilt your head back, but just look up.”

“Why?” Then, he flinched under the cold cream going under his eyes, “What is that? What is that? What is that?”

“Again,” she rolled her eyes, “Relax. It’s not like I’m waterboarding you. It’s concealer for the black circles under your eyes. Honestly, Ryuzaki. Do you not sleep?”

“Depends on the day,” L froze, “Get it off.”

“It’s almost over,” Misa settled him, blending everything out, “You’ll be fine.”

“Waterboarding would be better…”

“You know,” Misa ignored his comment and took a step back, “You’re cute with a little effort, Ryuzaki. I mean, you’re no Light, but still…I’ll take it!”

“I think that was intended to be a compliment.” Despite having her around for the last few months, L still wasn’t sure what to make of Misa. He knew she existed. She knew she was beyond obsessed with Light (in a complete and utter one-sided relationship). And that she had a special talent to drive both L and Light up the wall. 

“Come on!” she grabbed his wrist and dragged him behind her, “Let’s go have fun!”

_This should be fine. It’s not like I’m going to have to do anything. A lot of my work can be done on my phone. It’s like someone taking their dog to the park. As long as Misa has something to chase, I can be buried in my phone for the rest of the night. If all else fails, I have the power to make her leave. A well-placed lie about Light getting out of class should do the trick. I’ll be fine._

However, L would not be fine. Misa told her driver to take them to Shinjuku at a late hour. That was enough to make L’s skin crawl already (if the hour she had him cornered in the bathroom didn’t do the job.). When they got out of the car, loud, bassy techno blared out of the door and multicolored lights flashed through the upper windows. Immediately, Misa’s face lit up.

“Yay!” Misa squeaked, “It’s rave night! This _is_ going to be fun!”

“Those were words you said, Misa,” L shuddered, looking down the street at the line running to the corner, “It looks like we’re going to have to wait a while.”

“You’re so cute, Ryuzaki,” she awed, “You want to see what being a celebrity gets you?”

“What?”

“Instant access to the front of the line,” Misa beamed, walking right up to the bouncer with L’s hand in hers, “Hi!”

“Misa Misa…” the bouncer looked her over, “It has been a while.”

“I’ve been super busy lately,” she lied smoothly, “But I figured it’s time I got out again and saw the world.”

“What about the guy?” he shot a glare at L, “What’s his story?”

“He’s my manager,” Misa cleared him, “He’s with me.”

“Alright,” the bouncer allowed, “Go ahead, sweetheart.”

“Thank you!” Misa pulled L behind her as the two of the stood in the entryway. She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face if she wanted to, “It’s like riding a bike.”

“I don’t think this is like riding a bike,” L shuffled into unknown territory. Even more unknown than Misa’s bathroom. His stomach turned while a crowd of people danced and drank around him, all of them covered in either glitter of fluorescent paint.

“Here,” Misa brought him over to a roped off section, still open to the rest of the club, and sat him on the black velvet couch, “You stay here. I’m going to go get a drink. You want a drink?”

“No.”

“Yeah, you do,” Misa sat next to him and put an arm around his shoulders, “Come on, Ryuzaki. Lighten up. You sit at those monitors all day, every day, and what does it get you?”

“Closer to finding the most horrific serial killer in history.”

“You have a point,” she agreed, “But soon enough, you’re going to crash and burn out and you don’t want that. Then, you won’t want to catch Kira anymore and it’ll just be an uphill struggle.”

“Trust me, Misa,” L assured, “I’m not ever going to not want to catch Kira. I’ve already told myself that I wouldn’t rest until he’s caught and brought to justice.”

“And what’s going to be left of you when you do?” Misa argued, “You need a break. I can tell. You’re all wound up and you need to relax a little. And I know just what the medicine for that is!”

“Misa, no…” he tried to stop her. He knew exactly what she’d be bringing him. _Sure, Misa. Throw off my mental clarity with alcohol. You said it yourself. You know what you’re doing, don’t you?_

“Here,” Misa came back with a brightly colored cocktail in each hand, “This one’s for you. It’s fun, it’s incredibly sugary, and I know you’ll like it.”

“Really?” L took one little sip. Just enough to shut Misa up. _She’s right. That’s not bad at all._ He put the glass down on the table, “I still don’t drink, Misa.”

“If I wanted someone boring to go out and party with, I would’ve called Light’s dad,” Misa groaned, “Is this how it’s going to be all night?”

“Make it what you will,” he pulled his phone out and opened up the feed from the headquarters monitors, “I’ll be here if you need anything.”

“OH MY GOD, MISA!” a woman squealed at Misa’s usual frequency, only pushing L closer to the edge. _Great. There’s two of them._

“KANA!” Misa screeched back, making L flinch and cringe at the added assault on his ears. Misa ran into the woman’s arms and hugged her tight, “It’s been so long since I saw you!”

“You, too!” she gushed, glancing over Misa’s shoulder at her shadow, “Who’s your friend?”

“This is Ryuzaki,” Misa introduced him, “Ryuzaki, this is my friend Kana. She is the best!”

“Pleasure,” L didn’t even glance up from his phone. _Focus on work. Don’t let Misa or her friend distract you with attempts at socializing._

“And here I thought you were cheating on your boyfriend with him,” Kana teased, joining Misa’s booth.

“Of course not!” Misa swore, “Not on my Light. And no offense, Ryuzaki, but you’d be the last person I’d cheat on Light with if it ever came to that.”

“The feeling’s mutual,” L gave her a nod and went back to the monitors.

“Where have you been?” Kana wondered, “You don’t go out anymore. You barely answer any calls. Your management team isn’t even the same anymore. What’s been going on?”

“I’ve just been busy,” Misa shrugged, “If I can speak totally off the record, my old manager got busted for smuggling drugs in and out of the country.”

“Oh my god…” Kana gasped, “That’s terrible!”

“It gets better,” Misa went on, sending L’s radar up, “Because my manager after her, he…”

“Misa,” L cut her off, “You’ve had your fun for the night. Can we go yet?”

“We just got here!” Misa whined.

“Isn’t he fun?” Kana jumped on Misa’s side. 

“You know what?” Misa figured, “Give it another few minutes and wait for the vodka to hit. In the meantime…”

_Yank!_

“Misa,” L started to sweat, “Give me back my phone.”

“Nope!” she stuck her tongue out, “I told you we were having fun tonight. And we can’t do that while you’re glued to your phone. And you know what else? I need another drink. Kana can take care of you, won’t you, Kana?”

“I suppose so,” Kana took Misa’s spot on the couch as soon as she got up, inching closer toward L.

“Wonderful!” Misa sang out, “I’ll be right back!”

_Why do I have a feeling Misa’s going to take her sweet time coming back here?_ And so, L was left on a couch, alone with a total stranger and without his phone. _And Misa said tonight was going to be fun._ When L agreed to going out with her in the first place, he didn’t think he’d be so forced to participate. Instead, he did his best to hold himself together. Even if it was with a paperclip and a piece of string.

“You’re really cute, Ryuzaki,” Kana melted, trying to get even closer despite being nearly on his lap already, “What do you do?”

“I work in law enforcement,” L told her, keeping things short and to the point. _Please don’t ask any more questions. Don’t dig any further. Let me be._

“That’s so interesting!” she drawled on, “I’m a makeup artist. I used to work with Misa, but the project we were working on ended and that was a total bummer. But we got along so well that we kept in touch and we’ve been best friends ever since! How do you know her? I don’t see her becoming best friends with cops.”

“I’m not a cop,” he corrected her, his irritation already nearing its limits. _I wonder how many you’ve already had tonight_ , “I’m not at liberty to talk about it.”

“You use big words,” Kana continued her failed attempts at flirting, “I like that. I bet you’re, like, _really_ smart.”

“Yes.” _She’s wasted._

“Come on!” she grabbed L’s hand and pulled him onto his feet, “Let’s go dance!”

“What?” But before he could protest, it was too late. Kana had already dragged L toward the dance floor and somehow, he ended up covered in paint and glitter on his way through. The intense bass from the speakers, coupled with the large amount of bodies he found himself sandwiched in was enough to make L’s throat start closing up. He had reached his tipping point. L struggled more and more to catch his breath until he finally pushed Kana out of his way and ran off to find Misa. Instead of telling her it was time to leave like he wanted to, he pickpocketed his phone out of her back pocket and decided to hole up in the bathroom.

_Come on. I know you’re in my recent calls. I don’t care what you’re doing. This takes the utmost precedence._ Frantically, L scrolled through his phones, his hands barely holding steady and his heart about to burst out of his chest. _Where are you? Where are you? Where are you?_ He shut his eyes tight and held his breath while the other end rang. _Answer me, damn you. Answer me!_

“What?” the other end answered, setting L a bit more at ease.

“I’m scared,” L confessed, doing his best to keep his grip, “Come pick me up.”

“What…?”

“Light, please,” he begged, “I need out.”

“Ryuzaki,” Light kept his head down, hoping his professor didn’t see him, “I’m in the middle of class. I shouldn’t even be taking your call right now. What’s going on?”

“I can’t handle Misa anymore. I’ve been subjected to Misa’s whining, skincare routine, and favorite movie,” L rattled off, his eyes drifting to the hole in the adjoining wall to the other stall. Along with the grumble of someone else. His eyes squeezed even tighter, “Light, there’s a glory hole in here. There’s a glory hole in here!”

“Glory…” Light could hardly wrap his mind around L’s ramblings, “Mi…Ryuzaki, what’s going on?”

“I’ve been subjected to far too much tonight,” he quivered, his voice breaking, “Light, please. I need you and you’re probably the only one that can take care of this. Please.”

“I…”

“Mr. Yagami,” Light’s professor called him out, making Light’s stomach drop through the floor, “Is there a problem?”

Light knew he was cornered. It was either let L go on his mental rollercoaster without a safety bar or deal with his professor and risk his grades slipping. With L’s pleading in his ear, Light made his choice. _This better be important, Ryuzaki,_ “I’m sorry, Professor. I have to go. I have a family emergency to take care of.”

“Thank you, Light,” L breathed a little easier, wiping the tears from his cheeks, leaving a streak of hot pink and lime green fluorescent paint on his fist.

“Where are you?” Light walked out of his class and got a cab.

“I’m some club in Shinjuku…”

“YOU’RE IN SHINJUKU?” Light gasped, “YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE?”

“Misa wanted to go out,” L winced at Light’s tone, “And I didn’t want to put up with her whining. Please hurry.”

“Stay where you are,” Light demanded, “I’ll be there soon. Try to stay calm. Please.”

“Ok…” L didn’t need to be told twice. He started going into a happy place in his head. _Wammy House…Home…Watari’s pancakes on my birthday. Near and Mello having their occasional petty squabble…It’s peaceful here._

Meanwhile, Light knew every single place Misa liked to party in Shinjuku. And they knew Light. Especially before Misa was caught. He’s had to bring her home a time or two and even keep her from starting a fight at one point, but at the end of the day, he knew what kind of creature Misa Amane was. She was a sucker for a good time. Anywhere she could have one, she would.

As soon as he walked in, a high-pitched squeal rang through the club louder than the music, “LIGHT! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!”

“Misa,” Light kept his voice down while his girlfriend hung around his neck, “Where’s Ryuzaki?”

“Dance with me!” Misa begged, pouting her lips a bit, “Please?”

_Oh, great. Misa’s drunk._ Light wasn’t giving in to her demands, “Where’s Ryuzaki?”

“I’ll tell you,” she bargained, grinding on his leg, “if you dance with me.”

“Misa,” Light grabbed her face, attempting to get her to come back to Earth, “This is important. We’re going home right now. Tell me. Where’s Ryuzaki?”

“I don’t know,” Misa stumbled into him, “Last I heard anything, he shoved a friend of mine that I tried setting him up with, but oh, no! We can’t have that! He had to go and BLOW IT! I thought they were getting along great! And they were so cute together, Light! Oh my god! They were so damn cute! But, oh, no! Ryuzaki totally freaked out on her and shoved her and took off to God only knows where! Don’t ever say I didn’t do anything nice for him! I tried! The fact that it failed was all his fault!”

“Misa…” Light shook his head in slight disgust, “Go wait in your section. I’ll be right back.”

“Okie dokie!”

_Besides…I think I have a good idea of where he ran off to. The only place that would be even remotely quiet in a place like this._ Light went into the bathroom and oddly enough, he found it empty. Or so he thought. He couldn’t see any feet under the stall anyway. Instead of knocking on the only locked stall in there, he went into the one next to it and peeked through the hole in the wall. Sure enough, there sat what he was looking for, perched like a gargoyle on the toilet seat with his head between his knees.

“Ryuzaki…” Light spoke softly through the hole.

“Light?” L slowly lifted his head and followed his voice.

“Are you alright?” Light asked.

“I’ve been better…”

“You want to head back to task force headquarters?” he offered.

“I’d like to not speak to you through a glory hole in a nightclub in Shinjuku.”

“That’s fair,” Light went around to the other door, “Can you let me in?”

“Yes,” L got up from the floor and unlocked the door. The second Light walked in, he clung to him. L hid his face in Light’s stomach, his shaking slowly subsiding, “Thank you, Light…”

“The cab’s waiting outside,” Light ran his hand down L’s back, “I’m going to go grab Misa and we’ll go home, ok?”

“Ok.” L left the club for the cab and brought himself down in the backseat. 

Leaving Light to drag his drunk girlfriend out of the club. This would be no easy feat. Once Misa was planted in a party, she wasn’t going anywhere. Especially when she’s as liquored up as she was. However, Light was no common idiot. _Ryuzaki was right to call me. Even though he’s the biggest genius I know, he has no idea how to work Misa when she’s drunk. That’s what he’s got me for._

“Misa!” Light called out for her. It didn’t take much for her answer his call.

“Light!” Misa chimed, running to his side and wrapping herself around him, “Do we finally get to dance together? Because I really want to dance with you.”

“I’m not dancing with you, Misa,” Light shot her down, “Come on. We need to go.”

“But Light…” she whined, “Please? Just one. I promise.”

“No,” Light pulled out his secret weapon. _What better to catch a drunk Misa than with what she really wants?_ “I got a limo for us outside with a fully stocked bar. And it’s all for you.”

“Really?” Misa’s eyes lit up, “Aww…Light! I knew you loved me.”

“But,” he stipulated, “You can’t have any of it while you’re still in here.”

“Ok!” she laid her head on his shoulder, “And when we get home, you and I are going to do some things that are going to make looking at each other from across the breakfast table real uncomfortable tomorrow morning.”

“If you say so,” Light brushed her off, knowing better. _She’s too wasted to do much of anything. I doubt she’ll come through on sex._

With a little prayer, Light managed to get Misa outside. She stared at the car, trying to register what was in front of her, “Hey…! This isn’t a limo!”

“Of course, it is,” Light pulled her into the cab with him and got her seatbelt on. And she nearly passed out on contact. But in her defense, L was asleep, too. And who got the middle seat? Light. Misa had one shoulder and L had the other. _This was not how I planned on my night going, but I guess it could’ve ended worse. Sure, I could’ve done without Misa being drunk and Ryuzaki taking me out of class. At least they’re both in one piece._

When they got back to task force headquarters, Light brought both Misa and L inside. He left L in front of the monitors and brought Misa straight to bed. After ten minutes of angry flailing (and clumsy attempts at foreplay on Misa’s part), Light got Misa to lay down for a split second. And she was right back to sleep. _Like a baby._ He pulled the blankets over her and took her shoes and stockings off. She let out a little giggle in her sleep. Light crossed his fingers. _Stay asleep. Stay asleep. Stay asleep. Stay asleep._ She didn’t move after that and Light let out a heavy sigh of relief. _Good night, Misa._

Now, for the real challenge. Light went back downstairs to the wall of monitors and found L back in his element, sitting on his feet like always. _You truly are a creature of habit, aren’t you, L?_ Carefully, Light tapped on his shoulder. L didn’t even flinch, “Did you need something, Light?”

“Not me,” Light clarified, “You. Come on. You need to go to bed, too.”

“No,” L shook his head, “I’m not tired.”

“Uh-huh,” Light knew better, getting a better look at him in the light. _Wow…I guess Misa got a hold of him. He almost looks like a totally different person. If it weren’t for the way he was sitting, I’d think someone broke in here. Regardless, just because the outside looks a bit different doesn’t mean that’s not still the same Ryuzaki inside,_ “You know, I do have a full cake in my fridge upstairs.”

“That works with Misa, Light,” L argued, “Not me. Try again.”

“Ryuzaki,” Light groaned, “If you don’t go to bed, then your mental performance will suffer. And something might slip through the cracks. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

“Well…” L chewed on the side of his thumb, “I suppose not.”

“See?” Light helped him onto his feet, “Shall we?”

“Are you trying to tease me, Light?” L knew this game. Light could casually flirt with Misa and occasionally allow her advances. At the end of the day, he knew which bed Light ended up in. And it wasn’t always his own. 

“Depends,” Light asked, “Is it working?”

“Fine,” L wasn’t going to fight him anymore, “Let’s go upstairs.”

_I won._ Light had a smug grin on his face, proud of his good work. _He’s like a five-year-old with a giant IQ. Then again, it’s L._ The two of them went into L’s bathroom and worked on getting the paint off L’s face. L was too tired to fight Light and Light wouldn’t put up with it. Light dug around the vanity for washcloth while L sat on the counter, having light flashbacks to what happened in Misa’s bathroom. 

However, this time, he felt no need to find a happy place. He knew everything would be ok. Other than the obvious fact that Misa was already passed out upstairs, L had Light. In case something was to go wrong or Misa were to overstep (again), L had Light to take care of it. Just like how he took care of him now. L shut his eyes while Light cleaned the paint off his skin. For the first time all night, L could finally relax.

“Ryuzaki,” Light asked, “Are you going to be ok?”

“Eventually,” L nodded, his voice soft and gentle, “I can’t thank you enough for what you did tonight, Light. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you weren’t there to handle Misa. I just…I couldn’t do it anymore.”

“Enough,” Light hushed him, “It’s over now. Besides…”

“What?”

“You were kind of cute all covered in glitter.”

“I did not ask to be covered in glitter,” L glared at him.

“I know, I know,” Light giggled to himself, wringing out the washcloth, “But you’re alright now.”

“And Light,” L requested, “Do you think we could leave this incident among the three of us? And what’s happening now between us?”

“I won’t tell if you won’t,” Light bargained.

“Deal.”

Light helped L down from the counter and walked him to bed. As L laid down, Light laid next to him. Mostly to tuck him in, but deep down, it was a selfish desire to be a little closer to him. _Right now, Ryuzaki’s still fragile. He can deny it all he wants, but I saw him in that bathroom. If I wouldn’t have come, he’d fall apart at the seams. He doesn’t need that. He doesn’t deserve that. Friend, enemy, lover, it doesn’t matter what I call him._

“Well,” Light started to get up, “I guess I’ll let you get some sleep. Good night, Ryuzaki.”

“Good night, Light,” L nestled down into his bed a little better, making himself comfortable.

“I mean…” Light stopped himself, “Unless you wanted me to stay…”

“Please.”

Light climbed back into bed and pulled L to his chest, “We can’t tell Misa about this.”

“Agreed.” L listened to the gentle beating of Light’s heart and shut his eyes, “Good night, Light.”

Light kissed the top of his head, “Good night.”


End file.
